I agree that this game might suck for some people,but for some reason once I started playing it I couldn't stop.
I wasted about 20 hors on it and upgraded my character in many ways, and the more I was playing, the more I wanted to play.
I didn't feel like this in a long time. Maybe I'm an old school gamer, but it's really fun to go around and blast aliens around ships, expecially because the more you kill, the stronger you get and you can kill even more !
The only thing that prevented me to finish this game, was the release of MP3, but I expect to get back to it when I finish Metroid.
You shouldn't dismiss this game based on reviews or screenshots, my advice would be to give it a try and stick with it at least until you unlock some cool weapons ( the flamethrower is a must, is makes it so easier at the beginning and it does not require to much ammo ) .
You might be surprised at how addictive this game can be !